How will it get better next season? Surely it's downhill from here?

[dannyboy]

Unless finances change, we will be in a transition of sorts every summer.

Looks like we will be using this loan system longterm, which means high turnover of players.

As long as RM know the type f player he needs, then I see no huge ploblem with it. We may have the odd off season though, so people should be ready for that.

Yeah, loans are tricky. We got lucky with Barry who's a seasoned pro and slotted straight in. For the most part though the loans will be younger players who are unproven, exciting prospects but unfair to expect them to carry our challenge towards the top 4.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

You must be delighted that we never sold Rooney and Lescott, like.

SHame we have to wait for the summer before we buy mcgeady though.

Moyes era... and both players wanted to leave anyway?

McGeady deal was brought forward because we needed him, hardly a bad thing.

 

[Allezfan]

Moyes era... and both players wanted to leave anyway?

McGeady deal was brought forward because we needed him, hardly a bad thing.

Who said it was a bad thing. Just some lies.

Managers don't give interviews to the press because they want to disadvantage themselves byspilling their secrets to the public. They do it for a pr exercise. You can't expect truth from them.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Who said it was a bad thing. Just some lies.

Managers don't give interviews to the press because they want to disadvantage themselves byspilling their secrets to the public. They do it for a pr exercise. You can't expect truth from them.

Why would he need to "lie" about McGeady though??

 

[Allezfan]

Why would he need to "lie" about McGeady though??

Help his negotiating position with Moscow?

 

[Goat]

Look, he said we had loads of money to spend, but it appears as tho hes waiting till the Summer to spend it, as @chicoazul is very fond of saying, hes playing the long game, as a fan who wants it all and wants it now, I can accept that, just, but if the summer comes and goes and we spend less than 20m, on TOP of any sales, well hes a liar, liar pants on fire.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Help his negotiating position with Moscow?

Hmm, bit farfetched that if you ask me. If anything wouldn't the fact that we needed him sooner than we said put the ball back in Moscow's court in that case??

 

[tim cahill]

For us to improve significantly we need to spend about £30m on a striker and an attacking midfielder IMO. I'd be shocked if that happened though.

 

[Allezfan]

Hmm, bit farfetched that if you ask me. If anything wouldn't the fact that we needed him sooner than we said put the ball back in Moscow's court in that case??

His contract runs out in the summer.

Martinez said in the press we were going to wait until then and get him on a free. Moscow drop the price they're asking for as a response. Seems straight forward enough to me.

 

[Goat]

Hmm, bit farfetched that if you ask me. If anything wouldn't the fact that we needed him sooner than we said put the ball back in Moscow's court in that case??

Moscow wanted rid, they also wanted a certain amount of money, we played it cool and said, "you know what, we will wait till the summer and get him for free". They buckled, we won.

 

[Chang Elephant]

Butters....all this time watching Osman has naturally affected your optimism. That's understandable.

 

[Ashtonian]

You know what, i could write all night about this and that reagrding the club. Off the field we are a piss poor club that will always struggle.

But basically it all boils down to this, if we want to challenge for the the champions league places we need to spend money on better players and more of them. You really think a team made up of loans, Osman, Naismith and McGeady matches up to the teams that are currently above us?

Football is money. The less we spend the lower we finish.

 

[njligernj]

I don't know about downhill. Probably just stuck. If it's true that ideas and strategy and better training/preparation etc. can overcome the money (in a league sense -- not in a single 90 minute game) then we should hopefully start to see some dividends next year.

I don't doubt we are a better club to watch (and it feels like we are a better club overall than we have been lately) but in reality we are going to finish in our usual range. I am WAY less into the idea of beating other top 7 clubs than most people -- one game can lie; the league doesn't lie. We are at the bottom of the top 7 now (albeit with a game in hand) despite our (unquestionably) better than Moyes performances v. the rest of the top 7.

Progress for me isn't so much about beating some other top 7 club -- it's more about being ruthlessly efficient against the bottom 13. You'll always have an upset or two ... but we have an upset or ten every year. That's what needs to stop. Ruthless!

Not that I'd want that kind of investor - praying for the day that Roman yanks his rubles out of the bridge and sends that lot down to league 2

I often see people say this but Chelsea without Roman (assuming he doesn't actively attempt to destroy the club on his way out the door) would still be a richer club than us. Yeah they'd have to fire-sale to clear some wages but they'd be left with a decent wedge of cash, they'd be debt-free and they'd still be in London. I think even without Roman they'd be in a better spot than us, probably Spurs and maybe even the RS. It's not like Chelsea were City non-entity no-marks before they got their money -- they were around the top 4 even before he showed up.

 

[Allezfan]

I don't know about downhill. Probably just stuck. If it's true that ideas and strategy and better training/preparation etc. can overcome the money (in a league sense -- not in a single 90 minute game) then we should hopefully start to see some dividends next year.

I don't doubt we are a better club to watch (and it feels like we are a better club overall than we have been lately) but in reality we are going to finish in our usual range. I am WAY less into the idea of beating other top 7 clubs than most people -- one game can lie; the league doesn't lie. We are at the bottom of the top 7 now (albeit with a game in hand) despite our (unquestionably) better than Moyes performances v. the rest of the top 7.

Progress for me isn't so much about beating some other top 7 club -- it's more about being ruthlessly efficient against the bottom 13. You'll always have an upset or two ... but we have an upset or ten every year. That's what needs to stop. Ruthless!

I often see people say this but Chelsea without Roman (assuming he doesn't actively attempt to destroy the club on his way out the door) would still be a richer club than us. Yeah they'd have to fire-sale to clear some wages but they'd be left with a decent wedge of cash, they'd be debt-free and they'd still be in London. I think even without Roman they'd be in a better spot than us, probably Spurs and maybe even the RS. It's not like Chelsea were City non-entity no-marks before they got their money -- they were around the top 4 even before he showed up.

Not results wise. We picked up more points vs the other top 7 last year then we porbably will this.

 

[Goat]

Not results wise. We picked up more points vs the other top 7 last year then we porbably will this.

The wins versus Chelsea, Utd and the draw at Arse doesnt mask the defeats we have suffered recently, sadly.